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'The
TNI threatened people even from the remotest villages that those who
did not come to the rallies would be considered GAM supporters.'
'The leader of
the Geurasa militia group told the people in no uncertain term that
they had no choice but to support the demand for the extension of the
Martial Law in Acheh.' |
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 he
following are latest data and
information that we have managed to gather in Acheh that is
approaching the end of the second Martial Law rule on May 19 2004.
A.
ONE MONTH BEFORE THE END OF THE MARTIAL LAW II, THE NUMBER OF
CIVILIANS EXECUTED IS ON THE INCREASE
Since 25
April 2004 the TNI has been increasing the intensity of its repressive
actions against civilians in Acheh. The number of those arrested and
killed for allegedly helping or giving money to the Acheh National
Armed Forces (TNA/GAM), is on the increased.
According to
reports that we received, hundreds of civilians have been arrested and
many of them have already been executed without any due process of the
law. In East Acheh for example, the TNI troops continue to gather
information through ‘cuak’ (paid turncoats) to establish data on any
civilian who has helped or contributed money to TNA/GAM, or any
civilian who had ever asked for contribution from the public or from
petty traders or those who had contributed to such requests for funds
by TNA/GAM. There are hundreds of civilians in detention at present,
causing members of their families to be very worried and traumatized
of the possibility that they too would be executed like the others.
There is no law, authority or anything that can protect them from this
possibility.
B.
TNI MOBILISING THE PEOPLE TO DEMAND EXTENSION OF THE MARTIAL LAW
1. District of Bireuen
April 17-18, 2004
The people of Bireuen were forced to
participate in the rallies on 17-18 April organized by the militia
group led by Sofyan Ali to demand the extension of the martial law in
Acheh. The TNI threatened people even from the remotest villages that
those who did not come to the rallies would be considered GAM
supporters.
2. North Acheh District
Monday, 19 April 2004.
TNI District
Command: Korem 011 Lilawangsa in North Acheh, organized a joint
meeting with BERANTAS militia group in the office of the District
Commander. BERANTAS is in fact a militia front formed by the military
and police authorities for the purpose of creating a horizontal
conflict in Acheh. The head of this militia group, Satria Insan Kamil
is a resident of the Banda Masen transmigration settlement in the sub-distritc
of Banda Sakti. In that meeting the TNI asked the BERANTAS leadership
to gather the people from among the elements of society including
religious leaders and their students, ordinary school children,
university students, as well as children of the victims of the
conflict and other civilians in order to participate in mass rallies
for the purpose of demanding the extension of the martial law in Acheh.
Thursday-Saturday, 22–24 April 2004.
For 3
consecutive days TNI forced civilians from several villagers in North
Acheh, to come to Lhokseumawe for the purpose of pronouncing their
demands to have the Martial Law in Acheh extended once again. Every
village chief was told to send at least 20 to 40 villagers to the
rally. They were told anyone failing to comply with this request must
leave his village immediately. No villager dared to oppose the order.
The troops performed terror and intimidating actions on the civilians.
“Whoever refused to comply with the order will be considered GAM and
will be arrested”, announced the TNI. The same situation prevailed
before this when the people of Acheh Jaya who did not come to the
rallies as ordered were rounded up and transported in military trucks
to gather in front of the North Acheh Legislative Assembly office (DPRD)
in Lhokseumawe. They were ordered to read a declaration demanding the
extension of the Martial law. This performance was led by the BERANTAS
militia front and tightly guarded by TNI troops and police.
Friday-Saturday, 23-24 April 2004.
The chief of
the BERANTAS Front, Satria Insan Kamil became frightened and asked the
TNI for members of his militia to be armed and be placed in a
protected area, “if the Martial Law is not extended this May 2004”, he
stated.
3. Pidie
District
20-23
April 2004
Everyone in Pidie was forced to attend
the public rally held to demand the extension of the Martial Law in
the District capital Sigli on 24 April 2004. The ation was sponsored
by the “Acheh Anti Separatist Popular Movement” (Gerakan Rakyat Anti-Separatis
Acheh or GEURASA) militia group backed by TNI/Polri. Other than
ordinary civilians, members of Youth Clubs and Social Organisations
were also roped in to make the stage-managed “popular” action a
success. As usual, those who refused to attend were told that they
would be considered members or supporters of GAM. This occasion was
enforced in no less than 20 sub-districts and the rally was held at
the Alun-Alun field in Sigli. Zulkifli Gade, the leader of the Geurasa
militia group told the people in no uncertain term that they had no
choice but to support the demand for the extension of the Martial Law
in Acheh.
4. Acheh Jaya District
22 –24 April 2004
The people of Acheh Jaya were forced to
attend the rallies demanding extension of the Martial Law. The rallies
were organized and co-ordinated by the TNI through its Koramil (Resort
Command) office which was given the task of conveying to all village
heads the order to bring their people to the rallies. The rallies were
also spearheaded by the Secretary General of the militia group that
the TNI/Polri have created earlier: the Front Milisi Anti Separatis,
Syaifuddin Amnur. The action was held on 24 April 2004 in front of the
office of the local Legislative Assembly building at Calang. The
people forced to participate were from the Sub-Districts of Panga,
Krueng Sabee, Setia Bakti, Sampoiniet Jaya and Teunom who were brought
to the site in trucks and cars. Upon arriving at the site the people
were told to make speeches and then to repeat the declaration read by
burly men with crew-cut hair. They also displayed various banners and
posters with the messages saying that GAM must be wiped out for having
caused the suffering of the people and that GAM must be destroyed
through the Martial Law.
Some general
observation based on the results of monitoring by our Investigation
Team
The sites chosen for the rallies are the
same everywhere: the offices of the local legislative assembly DPRD
and all events were well organised while the participants were visibly
tense.
The rallies were always attended by local
civilian and military authorities.
The
responses of the DPRD have always been the same, that they would
convey the “popular aspiration” to the Martial Law Administrator.
Members of TNI and Polri were working
extra hard in assuring the tight security from the villages, on the
routes and all the way to the rally sites. In a few areas the
participants were even given money to reward them for having
participated in the rallies.
The threats and
modus operandi of the mass mobilisation were all the same in every
occasion.
The texts of the
“popular” declarations condemning anti-NKRI groups, the praising of
improving economic conditions under martial law and the more conducive
security situation in Acheh were identical.
The number of
people required from every village is always the same: 20 to 40
persons.
C. RECCOMMENDATIONS
Considering the
condition, the reports and the information presented above, we have
the honour to recommend the following:
 to urge the National Human Rights Commission, KOMNAS HAM and
other independent institutions to investigate directly the various
serious violations of human rights in Acheh occuring during the
implimentation of of the martial law.
t o urge the Indonesian president to allow a UN team to visit Acheh in order to investigate the various human rights violations
there.
t o urge the top commanders of the TNI and POLRI not to repeat
in Acheh their mistakes in creating militia groups in East Timor
because this would worsen the situation and create new problems.
to urge both the Government of the Republic of Indonesia and
the Government of the State of Acheh to return to the negotiation
table and to the peace process, because violence can never solve their
conflict.
For
more information on this report, please contact
Acheh Referendum Information
Center (SIRA); Email:
sirareferendum@hotmail.com
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